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BJP president J P Nadda on Monday accused opposition parties of "unfairly" targeting his party's workers and independent voices on social media for criticising the handling of the COVID-19 crisis in states where they are in power.

Nadda said this is "unacceptable" in a vibrant democracy and asserted that his party stands with every BJP worker, supporter and well-wisher, who are being targeted by those "scared of their unprincipled politics getting exposed".

"In the last few days, it has been observed that in opposition-ruled states, the state machinery has been used unfairly to target BJP workers and independent voices on social media, critical of the local government's handling of COVID. In a vibrant democracy, this is unacceptable," he tweeted.

"We will defend your right to free speech and resist these tyrannical forces in the democratic framework," Nadda assured BJP workers and well-wishers.

Culture of debate and criticism of those in public life is an integral part of a democratic process, the BJP chief said, adding that using state agencies to silence dissent is unbecoming of those in power.

"The opposition should adhere to political arguments, when questioned on their failing," he said.

There have been incidents of police cases in states like Maharashtra and West Bengal, both ruled by opposition parties, over alleged "fake" reports related to coronavirus developments.

The Opposition has said that criminal cases have been registered in BJP-ruled states as well, including in Gujarat, over media reports that did not go down well with governments there.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)